Keyboard musical instrument.



No. 729,978. PATENTED JUNE 2,1903.

' H. B. TREMAINE".

- KEYBOARDMUSIGAL INSTRUMENT.

Arrmou'lon FILED FEB. 5. 1 902.

10 IODEL.

INVENTOR flkrryfl.frema z'zz i HIS ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT FFIQE.

HARRY l3. TREMAINE, OF \VESTFIELD, NEl/V JERSEY.

KEYBOARD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,978, dated June 2, 1903. Application filed February 5, 1902. Serial No. 92,638. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that-I, HARRY B. TREMAINE, of VVestfield, Union county, New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Keyboard Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to keyboard inusical instruments; and the object of the improvement is to provide a simple means for to operating the same automatically in such manner as to secure as far as possible the effects of manual playing.

The improvement comprises the combination, with rods for causing the playing of r 5 sound-producing devices, of levers for actuatin g said rods, proportioned correspondingly to the proportions of the keyboard-keys, and means, preferably consisting of pneumatics, for operating such levers. Preferably the 1evers will be arranged above the keys and the pneumatics above the levers.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my improvement in connection with a pianoforte.

z 5 Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section illustrating certain parts. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of certain parts and partly in horizontal section, the section being taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation,

partly in vertical section, the section being taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference designate corre-' sponding parts in all the figures.

A designates the keyboard of the piano.

B designates the keys. As usual,these keys are fulcrumed upon washers b resting upon a barb, and are held in place by pins b and also by pins 12 which are surrounded by washers 11 Under the rear ends of the keys are the 40 usual washers 0r cushions Z). It will be observed that the keys constitute levers having longer arms in front of their fulcra than at the rear. The best proportions are well known and are such as to afford a certain elasticity or softness in the transmission from the keys of the force applied manually to them. In

the present instance there are above the rear ends of the keys upright rods 0, and when the keys are depressed in playing manually these rods are elevated ,to cause the operation of the pianoforte-hammers. I As here shown, screws 5 fitted into the rear ends of the keys, directly coact with the rods 0. The advantage of employing screws is that they afford a convenient means of adjusting the relation between the keys and the rods. Above the keys are a number of levers D, fulcrumed intermediate their ends to pins 61, se-

cured to bars or other supports (1 Approximately the proportion of the two arms of each of these levers D is the same as the proportion of the arms of the levers constituting the keys. The rears ends of the levers D extend under projections 0, extending from the rods 0. When the'forward ends of the levers D are depressed, the rear ends are raised to actuate the rods C in the same manner as these rods would be operated by the depression of the forward ends of the levers constituting the keys. The depression of the forward ends of the levers D is effected by pneumatics E, which are arranged upon a bar E above the levers D and maybe in two tiers, so as to afford them more space. In the present example of my improvement the pneumatics E are of bellows-like construction, and their immovable boards are fastened to the upper side of the bar E. 1 The movable boards coact, by means of rods 6 with the levers D. As here shown, a projection 0r lug e extends from the movable board of each bellows over one of the rods 6 The rod (2 may be connected in any suitable manner with the parts. between which it transmits motion-'-as, for instance, by having its ends inserted in small cavities or holes in those parts. It is to be understoodthat the pneumatics in this example of my improvement are operated by suction, and hence that the mechanism coacting with the pneumatics must comprise a suction-bellows, so that the pneumatics may be retracted or collapsed whenever the corresponding levers D are to be operated. These pneumatics E may be termed secondary pneumatics, inasmuch as they are intended to be comprised in a mechanism having the well-known characteristics of a tracker-board, a perforated music-sheet for controlling the admission of air to the ducts of the tracker-board, primary pneumatics actuated by the air circulating through said ducts, and operating-valves which control the secondary pneumatics, of which E represents examples. All this mech- ICO anism is so Well known that it does not need 7 by Letters Patent, is

The combination with rods for causing the playing of sound-producing devices and keys for operating said rods, of levers for actuating said rods arranged above the keys and pneu- 'matics for operating said levers, the pneumatics being arranged above: the keys and 'the forward ends of the levers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

1 HARRY B. TREMAINE.

Witnesses:

- EDWARD R. PERKINS,

E. S. VoTRY. 

